Freezer spacer

ABSTRACT

A freezer spacer and more particularly a freezer spacer of the type utilized in high capacity commercial fluid freezers to support comestibles thereon. The freezer spacer of the present invention being formed of a resinlike material and having transverse and vertical fluid passageways formed therein.

Ditefi tetes etent n91 Meiniek et a1.

1 Feb. 111, 1975 FREEZER SPACER [75] Inventors: Dennis M. Melnick; Mark Kubick,

both of Baden, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Pallet Development 11nc., Ambridge,

[22] Filed: Sept. 19, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 398,650

[52] US. Cl. 99/645, 214/105 R [51] lint. C1. 865g 1/14 [58] Fieid of Search 214/105 R; 99/645;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 879,455 2/1908 Frost 2l4/10.5 R X 2,075,472 3/1937 Schwury et a1 1. 214/105 R X 3,220,681 11/1965 Erbert 108/51 X 10/1968 Belcher et a1 108/58 X Primary Examiner-Frank E. Werner Attorney, Agent, or Firm1-1oward E. Sandler [57] ABSTRACT A freezer spacer and more particularly a freezer spacer of the type utilized in high capacity commercial fluid freezers to support comestibles thereon. The freezer spacer of the present invention being formed of a resinlike material and having transverse and verti- .cal fluid passageways formed therein.

7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures FREEZER SPACER Freezer spacers utilized heretofore have been generally constructed of a plurality of wooden slats which were arranged in oppositely transversely extending rows. Such wooden freezer spacers suffer from a variety of problems due to both material composition and design; for example, the tendency of the comestibles to pick up splinters from the wooden freezer spacer, the inability to satisfactorily sterilize the wood thereby resulting in the contamination of the comestibles being frozen and rotting of the spacer, the tendency for sap to flow from the wood when subjected to extreme temperature cycles thereby further contaminating the comestibles being frozen; the relatively low section modulus and modulus of elasticity of the wooden spacers thereby resulting in relatively short life when such spacers are subjected to impact and constant usage; and the relative large planar contact area of the heretofore used wooden freezer spacers which prevents a sufficient freezer fluid contact with the comestibles being frozen thereby resulting in large areas of uneven freezing.

By means of the present invention which includes a freezer spacer formed of resinlike material having spaced upper and lower walls and a plurality of transverse and vertical fluid passageways the hereinabove mentioned problems of the wooden freezer spacers are entirely or at least substantially alleviated.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon a reading of the following description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an orthographic projection of a plan view of a freezer spacer constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is an orthographic projection of a bottom view of the freezer spacer illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a generally rectangular freezer spacer, generally indicated at 10, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and formed as a unitary structure of resinlike material in any suitable manner, preferably by the rotational molding process. Freezer spacer is of a type which is utilized in high volume commercial fluid freezers, for example high velocity air blast, to support a plurality of comestibles, such as meat, thereon to be frozen. In using freezer spacers such as spacers 10 in commercial freezers there may be several layers of comestibles being simultaneously frozen with a freezer spacer interspersed between each layer of comestibles.

Freezer spacer 10 comprises spaced upper and lower walls 12 and 14, respectively, which are joined together by a unitary sidewall 16 which extends substantially vertically between walls 12 and 14 adjacent the extreme outer peripheries thereof. As used herein upper and lower shall refer, respectively, to the top and bottom of freezer spacer 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Wall 12 comprises a plurality of spaced, parallel upwardly open passageways or groove 18 extending continuously across one transverse dimension thereof; and a plurality of bearing portions 20. As shown, bearing portions 20 extend parallel to grooves 18 and continuously across the transverse diameter of wall 12. Bearing portions 20 are positioned intermediate each spaced pair of grooves 18 and also outwardly adjacent each outermost groove 18. Each bearing portion 20 comprises: a plurality of uppermost bearing surfaces 22;

and an upwardly open passageway or groove 24 spaced intermediate the sides of bearing portion 20 and extending continuously across the longitudinal extent of portion 20. Portion 20 additionally includes a plurality of transversely spaced passageways or grooves 26 extending continuously across the transverse dimension of portion 20. It is to be noted that the grooves 26 adjacent portions 26 are axially aligned thereby providing a continuous passage for fluid across the transverse direction of freezer spacer 10 normal to the axial extent of grooves 18 and portions 20.

FIG. 2 illustrates the bottom wall of spacer 10 and it is to be noted that top and bottom as used herein ismerely for the purposes of description for, as is readily apparent from a viewing of the drawings, the spacer 10 is reversible and either wall 12 or 14 thereof can be used as the top or bottom wall. Wall 14 has grooves and portions thereof similar to 12 with the primary distinction therebetween being that the entire orientation of the grooves and portions of wall 14 are from the grooves and portions of wall 12. Such an arrangement is highly desirable from a structural viewpoint and also to allow a more efficient flow of freezing fluid across the freezer in which the freezer spacers 10 are being used. The only other distinction between wall 14 and wall 12 resides in the fact that the particular embodiment of freezer spacer 10 illustrated is of a rectangular configuration therefore because the spacing of the groove and portions of wall 14 is along the long side rather than the short side as with wall 12, wall 14 has one more groove 18 and portion 20' than similar elements of wall 12. Inasmuch as the various elements of wall 14 are similar to those elements of wall 12 described hereinbefore, like numerals primed will be used in identifying the elements of wall 14 with the understanding that the hereinbefore set forth description of wall 12 is additionally applicable to such similar elements of wall 14.

It will be noted that with the construction described hereinabove the freezer spacer 10 will have sufficient bearing area for comestibles to be supported thereof while still providing sufficient transverse passageway or groove means to allow for the passage of freezing fluid in both transverse directions of the spacer fluid. In order to achieve this result, applicant has found that the ratio of transverse passageway area to total contact area in the range from 2 to 3 through 3 to 1, preferably 1 to 1 through 2 to 1 to be the most satisfactory. Vertical fluid flow is provided for by a plurality of continuous walled vertical openings 28 which extend through the walls 12 and 14. Openings 28 are spaced along the grooves 18 and 18 and extend continuously vertically therebetween. As shown openings 28 have a generally square configuration. The peripheral walls of openings 28 give additional structural rigidity to the freezer spacer 10.

A further feature of the present invention to be noted is the ability of captively nesting a plurality of freezer spacers 10 of the present invention one on top of another for storage purposes. This captive nesting is accomplished by turning over adjacent spacers 10, turning one 90 with respect to the other and nesting successive portions 20' in successive grooves 18 or nesting successive portions 20 into successive grooves 18.

It is to be further noted that various modifications can, be made to the preferred embodiment described hereinabove without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein; for example, inclusion of diagonal grooves; differing groove cross section; inclusion of more grooves or less grooves and in differing locations; inclusion of more or less bearing areas in differing locations; spacer can have configurations other than rectangular, for example, square; and the like. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the claims set forth hereinafter.

What is claimed is:

1. A freezer spacer formed of a resinlike material comprising: a first generally horizontally extending wall; a second generally horizontally extending wall vertically spaced from said first wall; a vertical wall extending substantially continuously between said first and second walls adjacent the outermost peripheries thereof; said first and second walls each including a plurality of spaced bearing portions and a plurality of spaced outwardly open continuously extending grooved passageway means intermediate said spaced bearing portions; a plurality of continuously walled vertical openings extending through said first and second walls; and the ratio of the horizontal areas of said grooved passageway means to the horizontal areas of said spaced portions being in the range from 2 to 3 through 3 to l.

2. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 1 with said ratio of said areas of spaced bearing portions to said grooved passageway means being in the range from 1 to I through 2 to l.

3. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 1 with said freezer spacer having a generally polygonal configuration having only two transverse directions.

4. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 3 wherein said grooved passageway means extend in both of said directions.

5. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 4 wherein said walls are unitarily formed.

6. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 4 wherein at least a major portion of the configuration of the passageway means of said first and second walls are identical with the exception that the passageway means of said first wall extend in a direction substantially normal to the passageway means of said second wall.

7. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 4 wherein the extent of said passageway means in one of said directions is substantially normal to the extent of said passageway means in the other of said directions. 

1. A freezer spacer formed of a resinlike material comprising: a first generally horizontally extending wall; a second generally horizontally extending wall vertically spaced from said first wall; a vertical wall extending substantially continuously between said first and second walls adjacent the outermost peripheries thereof; said first and second walls each including a plurality of spaced bearing portions and a plurality of spaced outwardly open continuously extending grooved passageway means intermediate said spaced bearing portions; a plurality of continuously walled vertical openings extending through said first and second walls; and the ratio of the horizontal areas of said grooved passageway means to the horizontal areas of said spaced portions being in the range from 2 to 3 through 3 to
 1. 2. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 1 with said ratio of said areas of spaced bearing portions to said grooved passageway means being in the range from 1 to 1 through 2 to
 1. 3. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 1 with said freezer spacer having a generally polygonal configuration having only two transverse directions.
 4. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 3 wherein said grooved passageway means extend in both of said directions.
 5. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 4 wherein said walls are unitarily formed.
 6. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 4 wherein at least a major portion of the configuration of the passageway means of said first and second walls are identical with the exception that the passageway means of said first wall extend in a direction substantially normal to the passageway means of said second wall.
 7. A freezer spacer as specified in claim 4 wherein the extent of said passageway means in one of said directions is substantially normal to the extent of said passageway means in the other of said directions. 